Marine turbine.



K. MQUIST` MARINE TURBNE. APPLICATmN FILED APR.16.1914,

M555, l n Pmmedsep. 28, 1915.

x Witmefsei: lmvemmr:

KARL ALoUIs'r,l or scHENncTADY, NEW YoRK MARINE TURBINE.

y Specification of Letters Patent. l Patentgd Sept, 28, 1915 Application led April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,229. y

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, KARL ALQUIST, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at" Schenectady, `count of Schenectady, State ofvNew York, have nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relatesto elastic iiuid turbines, as steam turbines, for marine propulsion, and particularly to such turbines when used in connection with two or more propeller shafts.

In the operation of severalturbines a material savingvin both weight and cost may be effected by running the machines in series. This is due primarily to the fact that the total number of bucket rings required inl order to give a certain efliciency is materially reduced, as each turbine unit deals with a lesser pressure range than otherwise. The ordinary arrangement of turbine units connected'in series lcannot well be used for operating propeller shafts,'however, due to the fact that it is essential that the shafts vbe capable of independent operation both forward and reversing.

The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement wherein the turbine units associated with' the respective shafts are connected in series, thereby sav' ing in weight and which at the same time 'preserves the independence in operation of each propeller shaft.

Incarrying out my invention I provide for each shaft a turbine unit which consists of a group of forward and a group of reversing elements. These units are connected in series and have their admission valve so arranged that each propeller shaft may be run forward, stopped, or reversed without interrupting the flow through the tur bine. To this end I provide suitable conduits for conveying the motive fluid to the respective groups of each unit and valve mechanism in such conduits which may be operated to direct they motive fluid to eithery or both groups of any shaft unit.

The accompanying drawing, is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention as applied to two propulsion shafts.

Referring to thev drawing,v 2 and 3 are the .turbine shafts, the one shaft 2 being driven by a high pressure turbine unit dealing with, for example. about 50% of the total steam energy; z'. e., fromboiler pressure down to atmospheric pressure in the case of ordinary operating conditions, and the other shaft 3 being driven by a low' pressurefturbine unit utilizing the remaining steam energy; i. e., from atmospheric pressure down to condenser pressure. It will be understood these values are given only by way of example. The turbine units are provided with forward elements or vsections l and 5 respectively and reversing elements or sections 6 and 7 respectively. In the present instance these elements are shown as being of the Curtis or impulse type. Any preferred turbine type may be used however.

Motive Huid is led to the high pressure unit by conduitv 8 which has a branch 9 connected with the forward elements and a branch 10 connected with the reversing clements. Arranged in the conduit is a suitable valve 11 which may be adjusted to direct the motive fluid to either branch 9 or 10, or to both, as will be obvious. The eX- haust of the high pressure unit is connected 'by conduits 12 and 13 to the conduit 14 which has a branch l5 leading to the for ward section 5 and a branch 16 leading to the reversing section 7 of the lcw pressure unit. The flow of motive fluid through branches 15 and 16 is controlled by a valve 17 similar to valve 11. rI he respect-ive sections of the low pressure unit exhaust into the common chamber 18 which is in communication with Athe condenser 19.

The valves 11 and 17 are shown in the drawing in such positions that the flow of motive fluid is divided between the forward and reversing elements and it may bev assumed that for this particular position the turbine units are at rest. The operation'of -the turbines 'is .controlled by these valves,

which may be hand operated or indirectly controlled, as for example by hydraulic pistons or other suitable system of servo-mo tors, as is well known. l

It will be readily understood from the drawing 'that if the valve 11 is moved toward the left, the flow of motive fluid which lhas been assumed vto be divided in such proas will: obvious.,

. pleced Aheen shown 4in their simplest form.

- the valve il is in its middle position.

iiow oit motive -iiuid` through reversing section 6. Ey moving valve ll toward the right the turbine may he gradueliy reversed The tow pressure turhine unit Acontrolled hy valve l? Yin ove arrangement it will he eviward, reversed ,or stopped without interrupting the dow ot motive fluid therethrough adustion of power, either u I obtained. Zit wilt other. v

The 'o' the compiete nie duet-ed and controlled hv vulve es shown 'at 20 in 3 in advance of tie relve l.

The controlling -vaives il and l? have it wilt toed, however, that other forms eno fmwrgenients of valves may' he used so ifiow oft motive fluid tlirough the 'interrupted vili he obvious that, with an ordinary valve arrangement thetflow 'of motive fluid to the turhine units wiil he greatest when @rdinerily. however, this wiii he no serious objection the valve will occupy this position oniy oecesionaily then usually for a very vshort period of time. in ordinary valve arrangement wiil, therefore, usually suiheient. it found desirable, however, he employed for keeping iiow enproximetely constant. in the ence i have shown the valve es being somewhat thickened so as to tend to block oit the dow when in the middle position and keep it uniform.

When both turbine units ere running full speed forward with the valves l1 and 17 up against the lett valve seats, the steam pressure around the wheel or wheels 6 would be approxiinateiy atmospheric and in some ceses the rotation losses oi this wheel, which is running idle under these conditions, may he considered toovhigh. l have, therefore, shown an arrangement illustrating the general principle whereby the pressure around the elements 6 may be decreased. To this end i provide a pipe 2l lending from the casing surrounding the reversing section 6 to the chamber 18 which communicates with the condenser. Communication hetween this" pipe and the casing surrounding the reversing element is controlled by the valve 22. On the saine stem with this valve is a second valve 23 adapted to move between he two valve seats 24 and 25. These valves Lissone will be so erranged that valve 22 opens just prior to the seating of valve 23 against valve seat 2li and closes es soon as valve rnoves trom this seat. The movement of the valves is regulated by e suitable dash pot 25, which may take the'forin of a hydraulic 'piston ior example. By this arrangement when valve. ll is against its left-hand seat the r'iow ot' motive iiuid through conduit l2 wiii torce valve 23 to the left, closing oli1 the chamber surrounding the reversin section 6 and opening the valve 22, there y connecting the chamber to the condenser. Any leakage of iluid past valves ll or 22 will pass to ,nser hy the pipe 'Ehe dash pot hammering on the part' et the is will be clear the shifting of the vive troni one seat to the other, or to an intermediate position wild be wholly nutoinetic and wiil require no cere or attention on the part of the attendent.. i may also maire provision Vtor oy-passing all, or part, of the steam pest the wheels in either turhine. This may be advisable if one of the turbines has to be stopped. for a comparetively long period whiie'the other is working (for instance in the cese'oi one of the propellers 1seing damaged), so es to prevent unnecessary wear on the turbine buckets. To this end may provide, for example, suitable 'by-pass conduits, as shown at Q7, having throttiing valves 28 therein. These valves wiil ordinarily be closed, and will only be opened when it is desired to partially or wholly out a turbine section out of service.

in accordance with the provisions oi' the patent statutes, i have described the principle ot operation oi' my invention, together with the apparatus which new consider to represent the best embodiment thereo;4 but l desire to have it'understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and

.that the invention can he carried out by` other means.

` llVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. The combination of a high pressure turbine having e group of forward and a group of reversing elements, a low pressure turbine connected in series therewith, a corr duit for 4conveying motive' Huid to the high pressure turbine having a branch leading tok each group, und a single valve arranged in said conduit for directing the fiow to either or both of seid branches without at any time interrupting the low, so that there is at all times a lsupply ot low pressure motive fluid available for the low pressure turbine.

2. The combination of a plurality of shafts, u turbine unit for each shaft having a group of forward and a group orevers ing elements, conduits connecting the turbine units in series, and valve meunsior controlling the iow of motive fluid to each unit arranged to direct the fiow to either or e 1,155,029 l v ,1. j f

both groups of each unit without at any'- time interrupting the How. I

v3. The combination of a high pressure,

turbine unit and a low pressure turbine unit, each having a group of forward and a-grou of reversing elements, a branched conduit for conveying motive fluid to the respective groups of the high'pressure unit, a branched Vconduit for conveying motive Huid from thev highpressure unit to the respective 'groups i of the low pressure units, and valve means associated with each branched conduitl for 4 'directing the flow to either group or 'dividing the flow between the two groups without at any time interrupting the iow.

4. The combination ;of 'a high pressure turbine unit and a low pressure turbine unit,

each of which 'has a forward' and a reversing section, a conduit for conveying motive fluid to the high pressure' unit having a branch leading to each section thereof, a conduit for conveying'motive Huid from the high pressure unit to the low 'pressure unit lhaving a branch leading to eachsection of the low' pressure unit, and valve means associated with each conduit for directing the fiow to either section or dividing the flow between the two sections of the respective.

nits without at anytime interrupting the ow. v

5. The combination with a high pressure turbine havingforward and reversing sections exhausting atan, intermediate pressure, and valve'means for directing the flow Vto either of said sections, of a low pressure turbine 4which receives the exhaust there? from, a condenser. connectedjto the low pressure turbine, and means for connecting lvone of said high pressure turbine vsections to .V the condenser when the motive fluid is being directed to the other.

6. The combination of a plurality of tursection.

rected to the forward section. In witness' whereof, I have v hereunto set' bine units connected4 in series,l each unit. comprising a forward and a reversing section, valve means for each unit for directing the iow to eithersection thereof, acondenser, and automatic means controlled by' the flow ofthe motive fluid -for connecting pressure vto the condenser when the flow of motive i'uid is being directed to the forward sectionv thereof.- l

7. The combination of a high pressure turbine and a low pressureturbine connect- :ed in series, said high pressure turbine having a forward and a reversing section,valve` the reversing section of a unit of higher I neans for directing the'ilowof motive Huid:

tol either of said sections, a common exhaust pipe into which both said sections exhaust', a condenser, and automatic valve means for disconnecting the one section from'its ex-Y haust and connectingit -to the condenser i pipeinto which both said sections exhaust,` a condenser, and automatic valve means con-.

trolled 'by the flow of the motive iiuid for disconnecting the reversing section from the Acommon exhaust pipe and connecting 'it to 'lov the condenser when-the motive fluid dimy hand this 15th day of April, 1914.

i KARL ALQUIST.

Witnesses 'i BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HELEN .Oiiionn 

